


Unflappable

by Amalveor



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-08 07:59:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17977430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amalveor/pseuds/Amalveor
Summary: With Liz having returned to Cambridge, the Doctor has been trying to convince the entirely unconcerned Brigadier that he needs a new assistant. Despite his threats that the Earth may very well be destroyed if he doesn't get one, the Brigadier remains stubbornly unflappable.





	Unflappable

“Doctor,” he said firmly, finally raising his gaze from the file on the desk to survey the man standing before him. “When we employed Miss Shaw it was to the post of Scientific Advisor. You can understand that, now you have taken up that particular post it makes it rather difficult to re-advertise.”

The Doctor sighed. Why must UNIT find a way to complicate even the simplest of matters? “My dear Brigadier, it’s quite simple. You no longer need a Scientific Advisor; you need a Scientific Advisor’s assistant.”

“Yes,” he agreed, “but I’m afraid I have to convince my superiors. As far as they’re concerned there’s no reason to release the funds when they have a perfectly good Scientific Advisor already.”

“But your Scientific Advisor is unpaid. There is no need to release any more funds, simply pay the girl what you’re not paying me- unless that too is being squandered on such important necessities as new uniforms.”

He gestured at the forms currently across the desk. They were indeed regarding new uniforms and the Brigadier reached a hand to them, as if in defense. “I have been told a change of uniform is required. I have no say in the matter and a separate budget has been set aside for them. I know you like to forget, Doctor, but this is the army and some of us are expected to do as we are told.”

He lowered his eyes to the paperwork again, deliberately shutting the Doctor out of his field of attention. The Doctor gave a small ‘hrm’ of annoyance and tried a new tactic. “We’re very lucky to have had a peaceful time recently but what do you suppose will happen if we’re faced with threat of alien invasion? How do you expect me to be of any use to you without an assistant?”

The Brigadier didn’t even raise his head at this, “I am sure you will perform your job just as admirably without a young girl hanging off your arm, Doctor.”

The other man wasted no time being shocked at this observation of his companions function and began to defend it. “Liz was a very capable scientist and very helpful to me, and to you, Brigadier. Without her I can assure you the Earth would not be here now, at least not in its current state. Overrun with Autons, maybe or sold to the highest bidder in a galactic auction perhaps, but most likely burnt to dust”

He gave a flourish of his hands to add to the speech and the Brigadier continued to pay no attention, well aware of the Doctor’s penchant for drama. “I am looking into it Doctor,” he said, speaking slowly and emphatically. “As the world is in no immediate danger we shall just have to wait patiently for the new position to be agreed to.”

“Lethbridge-Stewart!” He exclaimed. “We have no inkling of where or when a threat may occur. Next month, next week, tomorrow! And yet you are content to allow us to be far less defended than we should be. What are we to do should yeti or Cybermen appear tomorrow?”

“I suppose we shall just have to ask any invaders if they wouldn’t mind coming back after our funding has been approved.”

A small, restrained twitch of his moustache was all there was to give away his amusement and it irritated the other man furiously that he could be so flippant about it. It hadn’t been a gross exaggeration, without Liz they could well be dead and while he was perfectly capable of functioning in his position without an assistant he was damned if he would! He was bored and without an assistant he would have to make do with the Brigadier’s company, even if that did mean arguing with him. He quite enjoyed it really, even if he was infuriatingly calm at the Doctor’s threats of alien attack, the man argued well.

“Very droll. This is serious, Brigadier.”

“I assure you, Doctor that I take everything seriously.”

That was a fair point and the Doctor knew it was true. When it came to his work the Brigadier was perfectly serious at all times; perfectly military. But on consideration, it wasn’t his seriousness that irritated the Doctor, it was the fact that, no matter what scenario he came up with to illustrate their current situation, the Brigadier would deflect it with that irritating common sense of his. If he had only been able to instill some panic in the other man, something might get done… He might get his own way at last.

“How can you be so confoundedly unflappable?” he asked at last, exasperated.

The Brigadier gave a half smile at this, allowing himself to take it entirely as a compliment. He sat up straight in his chair and regarded the other man, folding his arms across his chest. “When I joined the army I thought I had seen everything, was completely unshockable. Complete nonsense of course, and I soon found it out.

“I was made a Colonel and, surely, there was nothing left to see that could prove shocking. I thought I was right for quite a while that time and suddenly you and those blasted yeti appear and start running around the underground and, well, I could hardly not be surprised at that. And now, Doctor, I am far to experienced too think myself entirely unshockable but it will take a little more than your most fervent daydreams to shock me. If you wish to tell horror stories, I recommend you find one of the new recruits to listen. Private Elkins is, by all accounts, terrified of you already.”

The Doctor seemed not to be listening anymore. He was looking across the room with a peculiar expression on his face, as if a dangerous idea had just struck him. It had.

He crossed the room in long, quick strides and was behind the desk in a matter of seconds. He put a hand on the Brigadier’s shoulder. He was sat just far out enough from the desk for the Doctor to squeeze in front of him and look down. A line of confusion was appearing between the Brigadier’s eyebrows. Good. He watched it deepen as he rested his weight on the shoulder and leant forward, too close now to focus on eyebrows, and pressed a kiss to the Brigadier’s lips.

The Doctor expected to be pushed quickly away and didn’t plan on resisting. He simply wanted to stun the Brigadier into something other than calm composure, but it was he who was surprised when he found the lips beneath him not hard with shock, but soft and warm and responsive. They moved pleasantly against his own and the action went from something merely seeking a reaction to feeling almost natural. The Doctor tilted his head to improve the clumsy angle and allowed his tongue to drift between their meeting lips. He traced the Brigadier’s bottom lip, drawing it briefly between his own and the mouth against him opened eagerly, tongue emerging tentatively to meet its partner. The kiss deepened and a hand slid up the velvet of the Doctor’s jacket, clinging to his back, trying to draw him further down. Lost in the moment, the Doctor had forgotten his precarious position and almost overbalanced with the effort to move nearer. He broke away out of necessity then and steadied himself on the desk behind him, looking down, shocked and breathless.

The expression that met his was smiling. The Brigadier was breathing heavily too but there was a smug, satisfied expression on his face. “I’m afraid, Doctor,” he said huskily, but with was a definite hint of amusement in his voice, “that you shall have to try harder than that.”


End file.
